Honestly, I don't follow much politics. I don't have time for it. If something sparks my interest enough then I'll research it, but most of the things fall to wayside for me. I had absolutely no idea this Senator Warren/President Trump/Indigenous Heritage thing was even a thing until today. Growing up I was told that my ancestry was Scottish, Irish, and Welsh as well as Cherokee, Choctaw, and Osage. So, this is what I told people. I didn't use it for "cool points", I was genuinely happy that these were the groups of people that made up me. I knew that it was ancestral and I never tried to enroll in either one of those tribes, nor on the other spectrum did I try to claim any cool white people from the US cred for being Scottish, Irish, or Welsh. However, I did try to learn about all six of these peoples; languages, cultures, customs, etc. I wanted to learn about me. My mom did want to state that she had a Choctaw Princess. That sounded far-fetched to me. I became friends with some Choctaws and decided to ask them. "Do y'all have princesses?" The answer was no, and that was good enough for me. "Sorry mom, you can't have a Choctaw Princess as they don't exist." It was a final answer for me since I heard it from the source, but mom wasn't having any of it. Sure they have a "Princess" today, since the 1950s or so, but that is merely a dignitary title. It's like Miss Mississippi or Miss Universe or Miss USA or whatever. They are the representative of the tribe and win the title and then travel around to educate people on the tribe. It had nothing to do with tribal rulers. That's devoted to a Chief, at least for the Choctaw peoples, and that Chief has always been voted in/appointed by the tribe members. It's not a hereditary/ruling family type of thing. My parents took Autosomal DNA tests this year and there is no Indigenous ancestry. My parents were holding out hope because one of my Choctaw friends and I were talking about these tests and she and her mom were going to take them. "Well, my mom, I suppose in a weird world if _______'s test doesn't show any Indigenous, we'll know somethings wrong." (She hasn't taken hers yet that I know of, but her moms was 80-something percent, so it does mark for that.) While my parents can't wrap their heads about it and are thinking that science is calling their parents liars or are totally bummed that they aren't "Indian", this is not the case with me. I am upset, but only because I was lied to by my family. I thought this was who I was and it wasn't and it's horribly embarrassing to me that I was saying people were my ancestral lineage, when they never were. So part of me feels a little silly for embracing these three cultures that I'm not and learning all about them. But then I have to go easy on myself. I didn't know. I shouldn't have accepted their word when there was nothing to back it up. Lesson learned. Plus, it's never bad to learn about another culture in my book. Do I still claim any ancestral lineage that I am not? Absolutely not. My mom's still pouting like a child over no Choctaw Princess and no Italian heritage. When I'm over here saying, "Holy bajeebus! I'm Jewish, Greek, Russian, German, French, Egyptian, Danish, Norwegian, and Senegalese! This is so exciting!" Some of these groups I've always been drawn to and have already learned about. For the others, I'm currently learning about them. The languages, customs, culture, clothing, everything. (If you're wondering I still am Scottish, Irish, and Welsh... and there's some English in there too). Before the DNA results I never went around saying, "I'm Indian." If the conversation warranted it, I said, "my ancestors are: ...." and would list what I honestly thought was true. I just say that I'm white. Because it is true. For all intents and purposes I am white; caucasian. I'm also not white, because I'm not like most white people (or white Americans) and also some groups of people can see that and see that I'm not like most white people and most white people can see that I'm not like them. But, that's complicated and has no place in normal conversations, so it's just "white". I also tried explaining to my parents how these faerie stories probably came about. I just tell them to remember Aunt Jan. She's Armenian. Growing up in the deep south in the 1950s, with the population being woefully ignorant and uneducated, they associated her with the only two things they knew; black people or white people. "Well, she's certainly not white, so she must be black." Except an highly unsavoury word, beginning with an N, was used in place of black for most instances. I try to tell them that it's exactly like that. So Great Uncle Joe during whatever war wasn't Indigenous (I've even found proof on census records that he was listed as white, along with the other "certain" relatives that were supposedly Indigenous), but he was probably not white enough and if you weren't dark enough to resemble a black person, then they have to be Indian. This is the case with that Choctaw "Princess" Lucy on mom's side and that Anjelica woman on dad's side. All listed as white in the census records. They weren't "passing" for white, as their parents were listed as white and their grandparents came over from which ever European country. Boom! Sorry y'all, but it's just not there in the DNA nor the paper trail. If they're grandparents are from Europe and everyone's listed as white, then there's just no way. But, they still can't seem to face it. They're not telling people about their Indigenous ancestry, but they're also not saying what they really are now; they've simply stopped talking about it altogether. I get the emotion of "Well, damn. I was lied to and the people I thought were my people aren't..." and it's a little upsetting. But, I think there's some sort of "cool" factor here for my parents, or at least my mom. Which is sad. There should be a certain level of "cool" factor as in this is what makes me me, and how extraordinary is that? But it shouldn't be used as something to gain some sort of "cool points" because you're an "Indian". Or if you use it for any other group of peoples. Those people won't think you're cool, they'll think you're ridiculous. Most Irish people in Ireland think that Americans who are crazy over Saint Patricks Day are ridiculous. All those whacka-doo "Irish"-Americans aren't praised in Ireland. While I'm sure there is a certain level of "it's cool that I am this", I think it's really just to gain those "cool points" with other white Americans because for some reason being Irish is cool. Not that Irish people aren't cool in their own rights, but they're not some sort of title to be won. The English, seen as the ultimate villains among white Americans are now being seen as this sort of "trophy cool". White Americans can't just say, "OK, English people aren't who they used to be. I can get on board with that. They're people too. No need to villainize them. They're cool. " No, now because they've given the Americans cool things like more music (than just The Beetles - I know there was more, but you'd think this was all that came out of the UK over the last 40 years until the 2000s) and an updated Doctor Who, the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost films, and all sorts of things that now I see more people claiming English ancestry. They weren't claiming it before in droves like Irish ancestry or even Indigenous ancestry, but they're starting to now. And I can't help but wonder if it's simply because England is "starting" to be super cool. *rolls eyes* I just don't understand that trophy-award-cool points mentality. However, a friend of mine was talking about this issue concerning Senator Warren and while I don't feel any guilt I can't help but think am I just like her? Which it also reminds me of the racist costumes issue. I always felt that all of my costumes (the ones I chose) were always really good costumes. I tried to make them as authentic as I possibly could on a $10 budget (which they were actually pretty fab for just $10 and using all the stuff from around the house), no matter who I was dressing up as. I remember one article giving prompt questions and one in particular, "Would you wear your costume to dinner at the persons house?" If the answer is no, then it's an inappropriate costume. But that question could go either way for me. I totally understand a costume that's the super sexualized version of a culture or the stereotypical version of a culture. These should never be worn, whether it's on Halloween or to a person of that culture's dinner party at their house. Once I dressed as Queen Nefertari of Ancient Egypt, once as Empress Dowager Tz'u-hsi (or Cixi) of China, and once as a Geisha. Wanted to dress as Pharaoh Hatshepsut, but I couldn't figure out how to make the head piece and pharaonic beard that she once wore, and they're expensive and tacky at costume stores. So, would I dress as I did as Queen Nefertari (or how I wanted to for Hatshepsut) if I went to an Egyptian persons home? Would I dress as the last Empress Dowager of China if I went to a Chinese persons home? Would I dress as a Geisha if I went to a Japanese persons home? Yes... and no. Etiquette dictates certain rules. Would you dress in super fancy Regency period clothes if you were going to have dinner with a British person... or the Queen? No. Not because it's offensive, but because it is neither the time or place. However, if the Egyptian, Chinese, or Japanese people whose home I would be visiting were having a fancy dress ball or costumed dinner party? Then yes I would wear those costumes. Why? Because then it's appropriate to dress up and also my costumes were created with decorum and classiness and while they were handmaid, they would certainly be acceptable. Unless of course this particular Egyptian family simply hated those women in history or hated anything to do with ancient times, or if the Chinese family simply hated "Old Buddha" as she was once called. She can be controversial. It's like people dressing up as Marie Antoinette. Would this be offensive to French People? They still celebrate Bastille Day and still seem to hate the patriarchy. Would showing up as (non slutty) Marie Antoinette be a slap in the face to their hospitality at having you in their home? What if she were beheaded or undead Marie Antoinette? That might go over well... but what if it didn't? Japanese people always showed respect to Geishas because they were, and still are, artists. But Japan is changing and is very modern and old ways no longer hold the same meaning. The only way this wouldn't go over well is if the Japanese family was very modern and thought of Geisha's as something hokey and old fashioned. Fellow American people, or even people who have this (mostly correct) notion of Americans would assume that my costumes were slutty, inappropriate and that I was getting drunk, stripping on a table, and possibly shouting out obscenities or racial slurs. No, when I dress as a real person, I completely take on the role like I'm playing it in a film or on the stage. None of the people I dressed up as would act in so ridiculous a fashion (and neither would I for that matter), so these things did not occur. While I did already know things about each of these women, I did extra research, so that I could get the costuming and make-up and hair correct, also the proper decorum; how they held themselves, how they walked, how they sat, how they addressed others. I try to really recreate the person like I am in a film or you're visiting a living museum. I take pride in accurately portraying the person and if I "break" character it is to be a museum guide, spouting of knowledge to educate others on this persons life and what life was like in their country during the time period, etc. I don't think any persons would find my costumes racists in the least. I would even go as a black person, but I haven't found the right person from the Americas or Africa who has sparked me enough to portray them. And of course by make-up, I simply mean make-up, like the white make up Geishas wear or that Tz'u-hsi wore. Or the black eyeliner and hairstyle that Nefertari wore. I never try to match skin tone, so I would never wear "black face". I would go as an Indigenous woman, but I haven't found anyone, as I portray people who are dead. Pocahontas is not someone I'll portray, and there isn't a lot of information that I have found. Perhaps one day I might go as They Are Afraid Of Her, Crazy Horse's daughter, because what a badass name. However, that's about all I know about her. So, if she wasn't also badass then it's not a portrayal that I want to take on (besides the fact that I can't portray someone whom I know nothing about). I portray anyone I dress up as from Sam Winchester from Supernatural, to a Zombie, to Aja Leith of Jem and the Holograms (80s cartoon, not film), to T'Pau from Star Trek TOS. Small budget, big dreams y'all. However, these are not real people and only characters so while I do portray them, I'll still constantly return to myself and goof off and laugh and then return to character. Which is not something I do for real people. I'm the real people the entire night. It's fun for me, all the research and learning and planning and portraying, but also I'm educating people and getting these real people out there in a real and non Westernized way. When I went as a Geisha, some people did pronounce it Geesha or tell me I'm just dressed up as a "Fancy Jap Hooker". Let me tell you, I was THE most boring person at that party, which probably isn't true for a real Geisha, but still. I always took the opportunity to correct them. "Geesha Girls are what the American GI's called all of them, but that is not correct. There are prostitutes in Japan, but they tie their obi's in the front. Geisha's are artists and are not prostitutes. Also Japanese people have never liked being called "Japs"". It's like I'm a beautiful walking billboard on facts and figures. Perhaps a bit boring, as I don't actually have a script, but I think my costumes of people are probably really great. But then I've not met the groups of people in question. I wonder how the majority of them would feel? I only hear from white people or other groups that aren't represented (so non Asians, non Middle Easterners) saying that my costume is racist. And it's only after the fact when I'm saying who I went as. I'm sorry, but I can't count someone who isn't Asian (or more precisely from China or Japan) or someone who isn't Middle Eastern (as a generalized term, and also more precisely from Egypt) telling me that a costume they never saw is racist. It's completely illogical. It will only be logical if that said group saw and experienced my portrayal and the majority of them said it was racist. Then I'd believe them. I say majority, because I won't count two people saying it's OK to mean it's completely OK because they're not the majority, just as I won't count two people saying it's not OK to mean that it's completely not OK. It works both ways for me. So, back to ancestry. I feel that I was never one of "those" people. The people being talked about in a despised way. But for all I know there are some people who did, and do, see me this way. Incidentally the illustration up there is mine. I was drawing women of my ancestry, a year or two before the DNA tests were even purchased. She is of the Cherokee Nation. She's not the only person I did, as I was doing a series of Girls Around The World. It's an ongoing series that I work on from time to time. The link takes you to my art website and these are the only girls I have illustrated so far. Research, of course, was key. I researched and researched and researched some more so that I could make the most accurate representation with summary write up that was possible. As I said I enjoy the learning, but it felt important too, to show people other people from around the world and tell them about them too. Here's what The Cherokee Girls summary says. Cherokee from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma in her national dress. This dress is a simple European style that they were wearing at the time of the Indian Removal Act and their forced journey along The Trail of Tears. They have added satin bands to the style of the dress to remember that journey, and thus she wears The Tear Dress. Her people refer to themselves as Ani-Yunwiya, which means The Principle People. Her peoples' universal name of Cherokee is thought to be from one of two Choctaw words which basically translate as People Who Live In The Mountains or People Who Live In The Cave Country. Needless to say, now that I know she's not part of my ancestry, I no longer claim her and won't be keeping her. Because along with drawing The Girls Around The World, is why I started drawing my ancestry. Now I have some work to do because though three Girls have had to be removed from my life (because that would just be weird and awkward to keep them as part of me), so many more have been added and I need to draw them for myself. Plus I can research about the places, people, and cultures that I know little about and research even more on the places I do know something about. It's going to be a lot of fun for me.
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AuthorA girl from South Mississippi who finds herself in exploration. Archives
November 2019
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